Gary Weightman
Very much “why they didn't” rather “what if they had”.
Steve Richard's' anecdotal style makes it a very easy read whilst still packing in information and substance.
A stand alone set in the Glasgow gangster underworld.
Finely etched characters with a storyline that keeps moving and builds to final chapters full of tension. Great storytelling laced with suspense and dark humour throughout.
Disappointing collection of often very predictable and prosaic short stories.
Not one of the stories offered much of a surprise Even that was predictable after the theme of revenge and retribution had been established in the early stories.
As a fan of Val McDermid's crime fiction I almost stopped reading this collection but I kept going to the end which probably compounded my disappointment.
Perhaps the best Tom Thorne novel for a number of years. Set in 1996 the time is evoked with Mark Billingham's usual humour and detail.
A young boy goes missing, the search for him takes in some literal dead ends before a satisfying ending which isn't signposted earlier. Tom Thorne's nascent career and the early appearance of names and faces familiar from the other novels make it a great read for Thorne fans and those new to the series
